Experienced hand seen as key to revitalizing a wounded GOP

“Like the Republican Party, they didn’t have a very good year,” says Brulte, a Charger season ticket holder and the man in line to become GOP state chairman in March.

Brulte is a seasoned politician faced with the task of leading the party’s resurgence, something desperately needed for a group San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, a former GOP state legislator, says is in “shambles.”

For the GOP, the wreckage from the November election was widespread: Republican losses gave Democrats a powerful two-thirds majority in the Assembly and Senate, which gives them the ability to raise taxes without GOP votes. In San Diego County, a Democrat sits on the Board of Supervisors for the first time in 18 years, and three-term GOP incumbent Brian Bilbray lost his seat to Democrat Scott Peters, giving the congressional delegation its first-ever 3-2 Democratic edge.

Continuing his football metaphor, Brulte says the party that also holds no statewide offices has to erase the chalkboard and design a new offense.

“If you do the blocking and tackling right, your quarterback can connect with the pass,” said the former assemblyman and state senator. “Just ask Philip Rivers — you can’t connect with a pass when you’re on your back.”

Brulte faces no opposition to being anointed chairman when Republicans gather for their annual convention in Sacramento March 1-3.

He made his candidacy for the unpaid post official during an appearance in Rancho Bernardo Monday evening, telling more than 200 local party members that the GOP has to rebuild from the ground up.

Goldsmith says Brulte is the right man for the job.

“He cannot raise all the money, he cannot be the candidate, he cannot knock on every door, but he can give us the vision and strategy and energy to help bring us together,” Goldsmith said.

Brulte’s agenda is straightforward:

• Raise money to wipe out a roughly $500,000 debt.

• Establish a statewide fundraising operation.

• Early recruitment and training of candidates in every electoral district in the state, including traditionally Democratic ones such as those dominated by African-Americans, Asians and Latinos.

“If we do that, 2014 can be a great for us,” said the Rancho Cucamonga area resident.

While many donors now bypass state parties in favor of political action committees or direct donations to candidates, the parties still matter in terms of optics, policies and platform.

The state GOP is deemed to have a large share of the responsibility when things go right for Republicans in California, and when things go awry.

Brulte is no apologist for the party’s state of affairs. Republicans continues to lag in voter registration with Democrats holding a 14 percentage point advantage. The state platform includes strict views on immigration and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage, the latter two serving to alienate many independents and many of the party’s own moderates.

“There is nothing wrong with GOP principles,” he said. “We just have to get back to the basics of winning elections.”